ChinaX (Part 1): China’s Political and Intellectual Foundations: From Sage Kings to Confucius
Section 1: The Big Picture
Introduction: Time, Space and Identity
1.1: Time
1.2: Space
1.3: Identity
1.4: China’s History Mapped
Section 2: Origin Stories
Historical Overview
2.1: Introduction: Origin Stories
2.2: How We Tell Our Stories: Artifacts vs. Texts
2.3: Culture Heroes and Sage Kings
2.4: What Archaeology Tells Us
2.5: The History of the Two Stories
2.6: Interview with Professor Rowan Flad
Section 3: Legitimation of Power in Antiquity
Historical Overview
3.1: Introduction to Legitimation of Power in Antiquity
3.2: The Shang System and Its Sources
3.3: Bronzes: Shang
3.4: Oracle Bones
3.5: The Zhou System and Its Sources
3.6: Zhou Bronzes (Optional)
3.7: Conclusion – Zhou Moves East
Section 4: Discussing One Interpretation of the Nature of Chinese Civilization
4.1: Discussing One Interpretation of the Nature of Chinese Civilization
4.2: Professors Bol and Kirby discuss “Early Civilization in China: Reflections on How It Became Chinese”
Section 5: Confucius and Confucianism
Historical Overview
5.1: The Many Faces of Confucianism
5.2: Confucius of The Analects
5.3: Reading the Analects
5.4: Confucius’ Successors
5.5: The Confucian Path
5.6: Professor Puett on Zhuangzi
Section 6: Competing Schools and Warring States
6.1: The Hundred Schools of Thought
6.2: Strategies for Doing Good
6.3: Strategies for Survival
6.4: Strategies for Gaining Control
6.5: Conclusion
6.6: Professor Puett on Zhuangzi
6.7: Professor Puett on Zhuangzi in Relation to Confucius
6.8: Professor Puett on Laozi
Part 1: Conclusion
ChinaX (Part 2): China's First Empires and the Rise of Buddhism
Part 2: Introduction
Introduction to Part 2
Section 7: Forging a Unified Empire: Qin
Introduction
Historical Overview
7.1: Forging a Unified Empire
7.2: Qin Finds the Path to Power
7.3: New Ways of Mobilizing the Population
7.4: Qin Unity and the First Emperor
7.5: A New Imperial Ideology -- Cosmic Resonance
7.6: Lesson from the Qin Terracotta Warriors
7.7: Epilogue: The Fall of Qin
Section 8: Making Empire Last: Western Han
8.1: Introduction to Making Empire Last: Western Han
8.2: Court Politics
8.3: Institutional Tensions: Tension #1: Centralism vs. Regionalism
8.4: Institutional Tensions: Tension #2 Feudalism vs. Bureaucracy
8.5: Institutional Tensions: Tension #3 Heredity vs. Merit
8.6: Institutional Tensions: Tension #4 Civil vs. Military
8.7: Institutional Tensions: Tension #5 Inner Court vs. Outer Court
8.8: Issue: How to Constrain Imperial Power?
8.9: History as an Answer
8.10: Confucian Classics as an Answer
8.11: Portents as an Answer
8.12: Conclusion
Section 9: State and Society in Western and Eastern Han
Historical Overview
9.1: State and Society in Western and Eastern Han
9.2: What is State? What is Society?
9.3: Four Options for State-Society Relations
9.4: Discussion: Salt and Iron Debate
9.5: The State's Retreat - Harbinger of the Aristocratic Age
9.6: Epilogue: Reflections on China's First Great Empire
Section 10: Self-Realization in the Medieval World
Historical Overview
10.1: Introduction: Four Strands of Aristocratic Culture
10.2: The Learning of Mystery
10.3: Daoist Religion
10.4: Alchemy
10.5: Literature
Optional: Interview with Professor Kuriyama
Section 11: Buddhism
Historical Overview
11.1: Buddhism in China: Universal Religion and Foreign Teaching
11.2: Introduction to Buddhism: The Three Treasures
11.3: Mahayana Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra
11.4: The Transformation of Buddhism in China during the 4th and 5th Centuries: Fotudeng
11.5: The Transformation of Buddhism in China during the 4th and 5th Centuries: Dao'an
11.6: The Transformation of Buddhism in China during the 4th and 5th Centuries: Huiyuan
11.7: Some Reasons for Buddhism's Success
11.8: Lingyin Temple
11.9: Buddhist Art at Sackler Museum
Part 2: Conclusion
ChinaX (Part 3): Cosmopolitan Tang: Aristocratic Culture in China
Part 3: Introduction
Introduction to Part 3
Section 12: The Unified Empire: Cosmopolitan Tang
Historical Overview
12.1: A Great Tang, A Troubled Tang, A Cosmopolitan Tang
12.2: The Social-Political Order
12.3: The Cultural Order
12.4: The Economic Order
12.5: The Military Order
12.6: Tang as a Luxury Market
12.7: Tang as a World Power
12.8: Tang as a Model
12.9: 3D Tang Artifacts from the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Section 13: Poetry
Historical Overview
13.1: Introduction
13.2: Structure (1)
13.3: Structure (2)
13.4: Structure (3)
13.5: Interview with Professor Owen
13.6: Poetry Discussion with Professor Owen and Students
Section 14: Calligraphy
Historical Overview
14.1: An Introduction to Calligraphy by Professor Bai Qianshen
14.2: A Demonstration on the Tools for Writing
14.3: A Demonstration of Different Scripts
14.4: Toward a Historical Understanding of Calligraphy - The Construction and Deconstruction of Tradition
14.5: Professor Alister Inglis Demonstrates Slender Gold Script
Section 15: Yingying’s Story
Historical Overview
15.1: An Introduction to Yingying's Story
15.2: Yingying's Story Guided Reading (1)
15.3: Yingying's Story Guided Reading (2)
15.4: Yingying's Story Guided Reading (3)
15.5: Yingying's Story Guided Reading (4)
15.6: Yingying's Story Guided Reading (5)
Part 3: Conclusion
ChinaX (Part 4): Literati China: Neo-Confucianism and Later Imperial China
Part 4: Introduction
Introduction to Part 4
Section 16: From Early to Later Imperial China
Historical Overview
16.1: Periodization and the Tang-Song Transition
16.2: Changed Foreign Relations, Changed China
16.3: Changes at Home: The Reconfiguration of Domestic Power and Wealth in Song China
16.4: Commerce and Urbanization
16.5: A Shifting Social and Political Elite
16.6: A Tang-Song Transition: The An Lushan Rebellion
16.7: Late Tang: Changes at Home and Abroad
Section 17: Transforming Society Through Government
17.1: Re-evaluating Government's Role in a Changing World
17.2: A Changing China: A Changing World: Song in 1050 CE
17.3: Wang Anshi
17.4: Sima Guang
17.5: Su Shi
17.6: Final Thoughts on the New Laws Era and the Legacy of Reform
Section 18: The Neo-Confucianism Movement
18.1: Introduction to Neo-Confucianism: Context and Claims
18.2: Core Neo-Confucian Philosophical Ideas
18.3: Zhou Dunyi’s Explanation of the Diagram of the Great Ultimate
18.4: Close Readings
18.5: Zhu Xi
18.6: Neo-Confucianism as a Social Movement
18.7: The Transformation of Neo-Confucianism in the Ming
Section 19: Exams and Elites: China’s Unity
19.1: Introduction: On the Unity of Later Imperial China
19.2: Institutional-Intellectual Explanation: Shared Values and the Examination System
19.3: An Alternative Explanation
19.4: Resolving the Contradiction
19.5: Literati and the Spread of Neo-Confucianism
Part 4: Conclusion
ChinaX (Part 5): Global China: From the Mongols to the Ming
Part 5: Introduction
Introduction to Part 5
Section 20: The World Empire of the Mongols
Historical Overview
20.1: Introduction to the Northern Border
20.2: Stolen Beginnings and Early Setbacks
20.3: After Chinggis Khan
20.4: The Mongol’s Multi-Ethnic Empire
20.5: Conclusion: Encountering the Mongol Empire, Then and Now
Section 21: Social Policy and the Founding of the Ming
Historical Overview
21.1: Introduction
21.2: Three views of the Ming Founding
21.3: Social Policy
Section 22: Admiral Zheng He Sails the Seas
22.1: Admiral Zheng He Sails the Seas
Section 23: Silver and Social Change in Late Ming
23.1: Introduction
23.2: The Silver Trade in Ming
23.3: Globalization
23.4: Social Changes and Political Changes
23.5: Conclusion
Section 24: Cultural Change in Late Ming
24.1: Cultural Change in the Late Ming
24.2: A New Literature
24.3: Expansion of Education
24.4: Philosophy and Ethics
24.5: New Religion
24.6: Women's Roles
24.7: Conclusion
Part 5: Conclusion
Section 25: The Scholars
Historical Overview
25.1: Introduction to an 18th Century Novel: The Scholars
25.2: The Rise of the Novel and The Scholars
25.3: The Rise of the Meritocracy
25.4: Ming and Qing Civil Exam
25.5: The Scholars - Zhou Jin's Story
25.6: The Scholars – Concubine Zhao’s Story
25.7: The Scholars – Wang Mian’s Story
25.8: Prosperous Suzhou Scroll Annotation Activity
25.9: Conclusion